Feed The Fire
by RiRiana
Summary: Fire is the element of destruction. It is an untamed power, and yet it is fueled by air. It survives only because the air breathes life into it. A Pyrokenetic is no different. He needs the air to survive, he needs the breath of life. WarrenOC. R&R.
1. Of Power And Parentage

**AN: Hey everybody. There are a few things that you should know before we start the story. Number one is the time period. This story is starts during October of Will &Co.'s junior year in school. Well, all except for Warren; he's a senior in this story. Well, this is my first Sky High fan fiction. I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review!**

**Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize does not belong to me. Anything you don't recognize is clearly mine.**

Chapter 1

Will's alarm went off and he grumbled, feeling around his night table for a few moments before slapping his hand down on the off button. Well, needless to say, the alarm went off… but also smashed into several small pieces that now dotted the floor, the wood of the night table now sporting a wide crack down the side.

Will groaned to himself, muttering under his breath as he rolled over and sat up in bed, "That's the third freakin' one this month."

Will yawned and stretched as he climbed out of bed. As he fully woke up, a smile dawned on his face. He nearly giggled with delight as he tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen. His mom stood at the counter top, pouring herself a large mug of French Vanilla flavored coffee. He snuck up beside her, crouching beside her as he kissed her cheek.

"Good morning Mom," he whispered, turning towards the fridge, still crouched over and tiptoeing.

Josie Stronghold smiled and looked at her son with an arched brow, "Will dear, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting a surprise," he whispered innocently, opening up the freezer. Josie looked at the scrunched over teen for a few moments, about to ask more, but decided against it, shaking her head with a sigh.

"Alright Will, but don't pick on her," she said, picking up the paper as she sat at the table with her mug.

Will nodded, his mother's attention already elsewhere. He reached into the back of the fridge, standing a little straighter as his hand groped the icy contents. Where was that darn thing? Sticky ice cream box? No. Dad's three pound trout from their fishing trip two months ago? Nope. Mom's homemade mango flavored popsicles? No. Darn! Where was it?

Will groped for a few more moments before his hand fastened around a sealed zip lock bag. Will sniggered to himself as he freed it from beneath the box of hot pockets. He held up the bag in the sun light, examining its contents. It was stuffed to the brim with marbles and he sighed contentedly with delight as he tiptoed back up the stairs and down the hall.

He passed his room and continued two doors down and across the hall. He slowed as he reached this new room, nearly holding his breath to keep himself from laughing with pleasure. He eased open the door, the hinges just barely groaning from the movement. He slipped through the crack, the lights still off. He weaved his way through the haphazard room, observing it as he made his way towards the bed.

Five piles of boxes were stacked precariously on top of one another around the room. The largest of the boxes was open beside the closet, clothing and old stuffed animals spilling out of the top.

Posters littered the walls already, having been the first things unpacked. Among the posters, Will spotted an Italian Job movie poster, a black and white poster of Elvis Presley and a charming poster that had a picture of two Barbies. One Barbie was wearing a blue dress while the other sat headless and naked on the floor. Beneath the picture it said, "Some days I feel like a princess, but most days, I'm the one naked looking for a head to put back on her shoulders."

On the white full sized bed, beneath purple down feathered covers, a fourteen year old deaf Great Dane lay, sprawled out. Right by the foot of the bed, a hand jutted out from the covers, the fingers long and thin. Will giggled slightly despite himself. He opened the bag of marbles lifted up the edge of the comforter, tilted the bag, and….

"AHHHHHHH!"

Josie, now joined by her husband Steve at the kitchen table, looked up towards the stairs in concerned curiosity.

Steve, meanwhile, didn't look up from his paper, but merely sighed, "One…Two…Three…" And as he said three, sure enough, Will came flying down the stairs. Literally. Just as he was nearly to the bottom, a figure dove at him from the top of the stairs, crashing into him and sending them both sliding on the hardwood floor in a heap to stop at Josie's feet.

Josie laughed behind her hand and fought back a smile. Will sprang up off the floor and jumped up behind his mother, his mouth rising to a smile of self-satisfied delight.

"Will, what did you do to Danica?" Josie asked responsibly, trying desperately to appear as the level-headed parent.

The figure on the floor pushed herself up into a standing position. Before Josie, there stood a glaring teenage girl. Standing about five foot seven, her curly brown hair fell in tangled bunches around her face and shoulders. Her brows were furrowed together, her brown eyes looking as menacing as she could make them. Frozen marbles stuck to her face and hair, some even sticking to her red Smurf pajamas.

Behind her, in romped a large old dog, its tongue hanging out of its mouth sideways in an off centered grin.

"Aunt Josie, he poured frozen marbles into my bed!" she said, scowling viciously at her cousin while petting the dog absent mindedly.

Will smiled and walked over to her, ruffling her hair. "Hey, it woke you up, didn't it?" he asked her, laughing slightly as he peeled a green marble from the skin of her jaw.

The girl glared at him for a few moments, trying desperately to look as angry and vicious as possible. Failing miserably, she finally broke into a grin and socked Will in the shoulder playfully.

"I'll forgive you if you make me breakfast," she declared decidedly.

Will shook his head and grinned, "Alright, fair enough. Now go get ready. It would suck to miss the bus your first day at school." He leaned foreword and hugged the girl before him, resting his chin on her head. Danica hugged back at firs, but pulled away when she felt his chin hit her head.

"Will, how tall are you?" she asked suspiciously. Will looked at her and rubbed his fingernails against his shirt, mock polishing them.

"Oh, just six two," he said proudly, hamming up his too-cool-for-you act.

The brunette rolled her eyes and turned around, calling back over her shoulder cheerfully as she went up the stairs, "My breakfast better be ready when I come back down."

She walked through her bedroom and into the bathroom that she shared with the guest room. She showered quickly and toweled off, putting on her clothes. She ran her right hand over the back of her left shoulder blade, feeling along the bottom of it. A thick scar rand around the bottom edge of the bone, eight or so inches long and a quarter of an inch wide. The thick scar tissue turned up towards her neck at the end and she sighed running her fingers over it. The memory pained her so she ignored it.

She put on a wide necked white shirt and a dark brown knee length skirt, a white ribbon looped through the fabric near the bottom. She looked at her face in the mirror and sighed. She had a long face, with a sharp jaw line and high cheekbones. There were bags under her eyes and she had a small nose with soft, thin lips. She glared at her lips with frustration. If only they were thicker.

She scowled a little at her reflection as she took out her brush to battle her thick tangles of hair. Her shower had taken fifteen minutes, while brushing her hair alone took twenty. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves as she pulled an inch thick chocolate brown shoelace from a drawer; she tied her hair up in a ponytail with it put on eyeliner and mascara.

Some girls like Layla were just blessed with natural beauty. Danica liked her own appearance, but she definitely didn't consider herself as pretty as Layla. She wasn't gorgeous, but not ugly either. She didn't wear a lot of make up, but some eyeliner and mascara made her eyes look bigger. Danica personally thought they looked small without it. She grabbed a pair of white sneakers and pulled them on, running down the hall.

"Will, I'm coming!" she said in a sing song voice. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Will clamped his hands over her eyes and led her to the table. She sat and he uncovered her eyes, revealing a bowl of Trix and half of a mango. Danica looked up and him and smiled warmly.

"My favorite," she said, picking up her spoon.

"I try," Will said with a grin, batting his eyelashes.

The two ate quickly and washed their dishes, loading them into the dish washer. Will grabbed a red, white, and blue stripped messenger bag, and Danica picked up a black back pack, swinging it over her shoulders. She patted the large grey dog, whose name was coincidentally Commander, on the head before turning back towards the hall. They walked out the front door and Danica stopped on the door mat, looking expectantly at Will. He stopped and turned towards her, realizing that she had stopped.

"What is it Danica?" he asked, a concerned look causing frown lines to appear on his forehead.

"Will it be okay Will? Am I going to be okay? What if no one wants to talk to me?" she asked, biting her bottom lip nervously, honestly awaiting his answer as if her life depended on it.

Will sighed and stepped towards her, wrapping his arms comfortably around her. He laid his cheek against her hair and whispered tenderly, honestly, "It'll be alright. You'll be alright. And as far as friends are concerned, Sky High is as good a place as any to make them."

Will released her and she smiled warmly, reassured. "Thanks Will, it really means a lot."

Will nodded and smiled, elbowing her lightly in the side. "And if people don't talk to you for your utterly charming personality," he began, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "they'll at least talk to you 'cause you're just so cute." He said the last part sincerely and she smiled, slugging him playfully in the stomach.

"Oh, ha-ha. You're _so_ funny! Seriously though, let's get going. Your girlfriend is going to think that we forgot about her." Danica spoke with a sideways smirk at her cousin.

"Crap, we gotta hurry!" Will said, realizing that they were running late. He grabbed Danica by the hand and they ran the rest of the way to Layla's laughing and shoving each other playfully.

When they reached her front door, Will knocked gently. Layla appeared a moment later and pounced on Danica, wrapping her in a friendly hug. "G'morning Danica. Are you excited for your first day at Sky High?" she asked, pulling away.

"Excited isn't the word that I'd use. More like freaked out and about to have a heart attack," Danica groaned to the girl, making an exaggerated puppy dog face.

"You'll be fine," Will said smiling. "Now," he said, "you haven't said good morning to me yet." He wrapped his arms around the redhead's waist and lifted her up off the ground to his head level with ease. He pecked her gently on the lips and Danica made 'ahhhh'-ing noises in the background, followed by loud exaggerated gagging noises.

Layla pulled away from Will, laughing as she leaned down to pick up her bag. "Well, let's get going," she said, blushing profusely with a small grin.

"Righty-oh!" Will said, taking Layla's hand in his.

The three walked down the street to the corner just as a yellow high school bus pulled to a stop. The doors opened and a glowing green man sat in the driver's seat. "Good morning Will Stronghold," the man said proudly with a salute.

"Good morning Ron," Will said, leading Layla and Danica to seats near the back of the bus. Will and Layla slid into a seat together and Danica looked around uncomfortably, taking a seat in an empty bench behind them. Danica took out her CD player and busied herself listening to a mix CD of Johnny Cash and Queen as Layla and Will cuddled up together, Danica forgotten for the moment.

The bus made one last stop after they were seated, and then drove full speed to an uncompleted off-ramp on the freeway. Danica felt her breath catch in her throat as straps and a bar belted her into her seat. The sign at the end of the ramp went down, and for one fleeting instant, they fell towards the Earth. Within seconds though the engines kicked in and they took off for Sky High. Danica felt her heart throbbing in her throat and she unclenched her fists from the bar in front of her, slowing her breathing.

Will sniggered slightly in front of her and turned around to look her in the eye. He smiled and patted her hand. "First time scared the crap out of me too," he said. Danica nodded breathlessly and Will returned his attentions to Layla.

Danica concentrated the rest of the ride on trying to slow her breathing and heart rate back down to a normal speed. When the bus finally touched down, Danica was the first one out the door, nearly wanting to kiss the ground with delight. Will sauntered off the bus laughing, Layla behind him, shaking her head good naturedly.

"Well," Will began, "Come meet the gang."

Danica looked at him curiously and cocked her head to the side, following him unknowingly through the school to a long row of lockers near the cafeteria. Will walked up to a group of people and they said their greetings, Danica choosing to hide behind her cousin as she stared at the ground self-consciously.

Will shook his head and turned around, putting his hand on the small of her back and pulling her forewords towards the group. The boy to her right was ridiculously tall with bleached hair and yellow clothing.

The boy stuck out his hand and she shook it, glancing up at him and feeling even more intimidated by his height. "I'm the Zach Attack. What's shakin' baby?" the boy said, whipping out a visor and flipping it upside down before dropping it on his head.

"I'm Danica," she said, tucking a chunk of her bangs behind her ear, strongly resisting the urge to laugh at the boy's behavior.

"I'm Ethan," a small boy chirped, jerkily shaking her hand up and down.

"Nice to meet you," Danica said, raising her eyebrow slightly at the boy's wide eyed personality.

"Magenta," said a girl wearing purple, who raised her hand in a small wave.

Danica turned back towards Will, who was scowling at the circle. "Where's Warren?" he asked curiously, looking about.

"Dunno," Ethan said, "We haven't seen him yet."

Will shrugged and said, "Oh well, they can meet later."

They stood talking for a few moments, Danica looking on uncomfortably. After all, she didn't really know these people, so they didn't really have much to say to her.

The bell rang and Layla smiled at Danica, "You're the only one who hasn't been power placed yet, including freshman, so we're going to come with you." Danica's face drained of all color and she looked at Layla with panic.

"But I was already power placed at my old school…" she said in a high pitched voice.

"It'll be fine. I'm sure that you'll do just great," Layla said.

"You'll do great." Will said with surety.

Danica took a deep breath and nodded, following obediently as they led her into the gym. Coach Boomer stood in the center and Will, Layla, Ethan, Magenta, and Zach went and sat in the seats, Will giving Danica a thumbs-up sign.

Coach Boomer looked up from his clipboard and called down to Danica, "You. New girl. Up here."

Danica sighed and dropped her backpack on the edge of the gym, walking up onto the platform beside Boomer. She looked around and noticed that Will and his friends were the only other people in the room. 'Well, thank God for small favors' she thought to herself.

Coach Boomer looked at her expectantly, "Come on. What's your name? What's your power? I haven't got all day."

"Danica Demarco," she said quietly.

"Ah, you're Josie's niece. Your father was a good man. It's a shame what happened to him. It's a _real_ shame what happened to your mother too," Boomer said, ignorant of the unease with which Danica now regarded him, "Alright now, show us what you've got."

"I was power placed at my last school already."

Boomer glared at her slightly. "Well, now you're going to be placed by _me_. Get on with it."

Danica nodded reluctantly and put her hands down at her sides, palms flat out, facing the floor. It began small at first, just a wisp of air, but soon beneath each finger, a small spiral of air had formed. Danica concentrated and widened the cyclones until they merged to form pressurized air spirals beneath each palm. She increased the air pressure until her skirt hem flapped from the wind, her body rising up a few feet off the ground.

Danica concentrated until she was about six feet above the ground and opened her eyes, lowering herself back to the ground and stopping the air flow.

Boomer looked at her disappointedly for a moment. "So, you can control air around you. You can fly a few feet off the ground, and that's it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Danica shook her head in irritation. Coach Boomer took this as a challenge, "Car!" he yelled, pressing a button.

A car fell from the ceiling and Danica looked up in surprise, raising her arms into the air just in time, cyclones immediately erupting from her fingertips, suspending the car five or so feet above her head before using the air to push it off to the side. Will let out a gulp of breath that he had been holding, Layla and Ethan both gasping in surprise as Magenta and Zach looked on, both still undecided about this new girl.

Boomer nodded in approval. "Impressive. Is there anything else that you can do with your air control?" The car rose back into the ceiling as he spoke.

"Can you get me two buckets of water?" she asked, still slightly intimidated by the shameless gym coach.

Boomer nodded and pressed another button, "Water!" he yelled, two buckets of water springing up on a platform in the middle of the floor.

Danica looked at him for a moment as if deciding something. "Would you mind stepping back ten or so feet?" she asked shyly.

Boomer nodded and complied, watching curiously. Danica placed the buckets about ten feet away from eachother and walked over to the first bucket, closing her eyes in concentration. The water in the bucket rippled for a few moments, Danica's hands hovering over it in concentration. The Water expanded as the air around it cooled, the entire bucked freezing over in seconds.

Danica moved to the other bucket with her eyes still closed and let her hands hover over the water, the water rippling and bubbling for a few moments, the entire bucket evaporating into steam in just a few seconds.

Boomer nodded approvingly, "Air manipulator. Hero." He wrote something on his clipboard quickly.

Danica sighed as Will and his friends clapped and she felt herself relax. Boomer looked up from his clipboard and walked towards Danica who had been gathering her things, and handed her a slip of paper.

"Good luck on your first day." With that, Boomer turned and walked from the gym.

Danica looked down at the paper curiously, relaxing even more in Coach Boomer's absence. It was her schedule.

Will spoke to his friends for a few moments and Layla nodded her head, leading the rest away to 'hero support' class. Will walked over to Danica, standing beside her as she finished gathering her things.

"Can I see your schedule?" he asked, extending a hand.

Danica handed it to him and asked nervously, "Do we have any of the same classes?" Will looked at her schedule and read through it quickly.

"We have second period Mad Science III together, fourth period Hero Training, and fifth period Gym," Will told her with a smile. Danica let out a sigh of relief and hugged her cousin.

"Your first period is two classrooms away down on the right," he told her leading her out of the gym and pointing to the classroom. Danica nodded and waved goodbye.

"Thanks Will," she called over her shoulder.

Her first two classes passed without consequence. She was even paired with Will as her lab partner for Mad Science. They were instructed to make a shrinking ray, and they constructed the object, managing to scrape a B-.

Poor Danica was so lost during her advanced math class that she nearly did a victory dance as the bell rang for lunch. She walked into the cafeteria and was grabbed around the waist as soon as she walked through the door.

Two, ultra stretched arms were wrapped around her body and she found herself being pulled to the other side of the room towards a boy wearing a stripped long sleeved shirt with the number 23 on it. He pulled her up against him and stared at her face intently.

Danica, feeling thoroughly shocked, looked at this boy with a slightly angered curiosity. He studied her face intently, looking down at her with a self-satisfied smirk.

He still hadn't released his super-stretched grip from her waist and she looked at him intently, but not fearfully. "Can I help you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're new." It was a statement, not a question and Danica nodded her agreement slowly, as if trying to communicate to a five year old.

"I'm Danica Demarco. Who are you?" she asked, cocking her head sideways with her eyebrows raised.

"Lash," he said.

"Are you capable of full sentences or should I just talk to you in hand gestures?" she asked him innocently.

Lash glared at her slightly, a frown worming across his face. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a fist collided with his jaw. He was knocked to the ground and released Danica's waist in the process. Danica looked up and saw her cousin Will standing threateningly over the heaped body of the boy who had been holding her moments before.

After a few moments, he seemed satisfied and lifted Danica back to her feet, leading her over to a cafeteria table as if he had just said hello instead of knocking the boy unconscious.

"Will? What is wrong with you?" Danica asked, looking at him as if he were crazy. Will looked at her with real anger, a kind of anger that she hadn't seen since they had been in second grade when a boy at the park had tried to kiss her cheek.

"That guy is bad news. Don't go near him. He's out of prison on good behavior to finish his senior year and I don't want you near him," he growled in a low voice.

Understanding dawned on Danica's face, "He was one of the one's who helped Royal Pain, isn't he?" she asked, recalling the memory of when Will had described it to her. He'd called and told her that night, even though they lived two states away, to tell her how he had saved the day and discovered that he could fly.

Will nodded and sat at the table, several people backing away as they saw the look on his face. Danica sat beside him, Zach on her other side, currently stuffing his face with a folded in half piece of combo pizza.

Danica turned to Layla across the table and asked quietly, "How long is he going to be like this?"

Layla smiled and leaned foreword, kissing Will firmly on the mouth for several moments. When she pulled away, Will was smiling, all anger gone from his eyes.

"That long," Layla said, laughing as she re-seated herself. Danica shook her head and smiled, noting in the back of her mind to steer clear of Lash. Definitely not good company.

She pulled out a brown lunch bag from her backpack and started eating an apple. A tray dropped loudly to the table across from her and she looked up to see who was sitting there.

A tall boy sat in front of her, with tanned skin, locks of black and red hair falling around his face and shoulders. He wore a leather studded jacket and jeans with worn out knees, a grey sleeveless shirt beneath the jacket.

He wore studded bracelets and she noticed a flame tattoo encircling his right wrist as well. In truth, his appearance scared her a bit. She scanned him over and brought her eyes up to meet his. Their eyes locked and she saw something in them that startled her. Some heated emotion danced in his eyes and he quickly covered it as she continued to stare at him intently, studying his strong features and puzzling dark brown eyes.

He held her gaze for a few moments, studying her as well, before diverting his gaze to Will.

Will looked at him and smiled. "Warren, this is my little cousin Danica. Danica, this is my best friend Warren."

Danica glared at her cousin, "You're only a month older!"

"Yes, but I'm still older," he said, quite pleased with himself. "And bigger," he said as an after thought.

Danica rolled her eyes and slugged him on the shoulder. Danica returned her gaze to Warren, his eyes already fixed on her. She opened her mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted.

"PEACE!" a male voice cried out in utter outrage.

Danica cringed slightly at the volume of the noise.

A tall blond, hulking boy stalked across the room, directly to Warren.

"You and me, NOW!" The blond boy swung his arm foreword and hurdled an ice ball right at Warren's face. Warren raised his arms and lit them on fire just in time to melt the ball. Everyone jumped up from the tables and crowded around the walls of the cafeteria, watching excitedly. Will grabbed Danica and Layla and pulled them to the side.

"Is he going to be okay?" Danica asked in panic, looking at Will with genuine concern shinning in her eyes.

"He can take care of himself," Will said, looking at her like she was crazy.

Danica watched on frozen with concern and fear. The large blond boy hurled another three ice balls, each melting before they even touched Warren.

"What's with you Frost?" Warren growled.

Danica jumped in surprise as she heard his voice. It was husky and rumbling, even as he spoke softly and she found herself puzzled by this boy, just from the sound of his voice.

The blond boy hurtled several more ice balls in quick succession. "What's with me? What's with you? You cheated on my sister! You broke her heart! You touched her in the first place!"

Warren shot back a fireball, taking his first offensive move. "I never cheated on Cassie! She's the one who broke it off! Why are you pissed at me?"

"You KNOW what I'm talking about! You never should have come near my sister!" 'Frost' as Warren had called him, closed the gap between them and created icicle blades, thrusting foreword to Warren's chest. Warren's arms erupted in a furious flame and he radiated heat, melting Frost's weapons and making him fall to the floor, his skin beginning to redden from the heat. Three of the blond boy's lackey's rushed foreword to aid him, but Warren's heat continued to grow, engulfing three surrounding tables.

There was fear in Frost's eyes, but he spoke anyways, "You're just like your father. Just you watch. You'll rape some poor woman and leave your spawn festering in her body. You'll never be happy. You're not capable of it. You drive everyone away. And you know what? You deserve to be alone. You deserve to _die_ alone."

Danica watched on in shock, praying for Warren to cool down, but he showed no signs of stopping. Danica almost wanted to hit Frost herself. How could anyone be so cruel?

Frost lay gasping on the floor, still glaring maliciously at Warren despite the situation and Warren seemed to loose control of the heat, the temperature no longer needing his energy to be sustained. Danica kept waiting for someone to do something, for someone to step in, but no one moved a muscle, and she found herself pushing towards the center of the cafeteria.

When she reached Warren, she felt the heat, but pressed onward. She began to swirl the air beneath her fingers and the cyclone grew to the size of a person. She continued to expand it until it engulfed her, Warren and Frost and she cooled the air inside, shrinking the air particles, commanding them to cool and settle.

The heat quickly dissipated and Frost looked up at her in surprise. Warren faced her and their eye's locked as she let the cyclone die off. Anger and hurt filled his eyes and she walked towards him, fascinated and frightened all at once. He quickly masked his emotions, but held her gaze all the same.

Just then, Principle Powers entered the room, students backing away from her in fright. "What on EARTH is going on here?"

**AN: And that concludes chapter one. Please review!**


	2. Kindled in Combinations

**AN: Hi guys! I just wanted to say thanks so much for the reviews. It meant the world to me that you guys responded so well. One reviewer, Mae, asked who wanted to kick the sht out of Frost. To tell you the truth, I wanted to kick him and I'm the one who made him… stupid turd. Well, onto the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize does not belong to me. Anything you don't recognize is clearly mine.**

Chapter 2

"I swear, she had nothing to do with the fight," Warren said to Principal Powers as they walked through the hallway towards the cafeteria, a little anger still burning in his voice. The bell had rung right after the fight, and four students, Will, Danica, Warren, and Frost, had been 'escorted' by Principal Powers to receive their punishment.

"Unfortunately Mr. Peace, it doesn't matter. She used her powers during the destruction of school property, and is therefore, responsible as well. She'll receive the same punishment as you and Mr. Frost," Principal Powers said, her tone cold and formal.

"She was just trying to cool the room and stop the fight. She wasn't doing anything wrong!" Will sounded insulted as he spoke his volume louder then normal as his fists clenched at his sides.

Principal Powers turned abruptly and stopped in front of Will, "Speak to me like that again Mr. Stronghold, and you'll get a week's worth of detentions instead of just today."

"What are you putting me in detention for?" he asked angrily.

"Currently, Lash Brookland is in Nurse Spex's office, still unconscious. If that doesn't deserve a detention, Mr. Stronghold, I don't know what does."

She turned now to the other three students. "You two, Mr. Peace and Mr. Frost, will both report to detention today as well. I abhor such violent behavior and expect more from both of you," her voice was stiff and cold, anger glowing in her eyes.

"As for you Ms. Demarco, I would have expected more from you. You didn't manage to even make it through your first day without involving yourself in something worthy of detention. I had hoped that we would meet on better circumstances," Principal Powers glared at her with sympathy and anger battling for an expression on her face.

Danica looked at the floor, diverting her gaze at the woman's disappointment. "I'm sorry Principal Powers," she said quietly, biting her bottom lip.

"I accept the apology. So," she turned to look at all of them with a frown, "you all need to report to detention after the last bell. Now get to class. I don't want to hear about any more fights involving any of you." She watched them turn around and walk down the hall and around the corner. She walked back to her office and sighed. She had hoped that it would have been an easier adjustment for Danica after her mother's untimely death, but what could you do? It seemed that the girl just might need to lash out a bit. Or at least, that's what Principal Powers thought…

As soon as Principal Powers was out of earshot, Warren turned on Frost, growling with a sudden outburst of anger, "If you _ever_ mention my father and mother like that again Frost, it'll be you that I'll melt next time."

Frost just smirked as he turned away down a different hall, "Be careful who you mess with Peace. You never should have come near my sister. Watch your back or you just might find an icicle in it."

Warren growled and clenched his fist, struggling within himself to keep his flames at bay. "It's okay Warren, we've got your back. That guy's all talk anyways. You know you could beat him with your eyes closed," Will said, clapping him on the back.

Warren cooled himself off for a few moments then turned to Will, nodding slightly, appreciatively.

Will nodded back his understanding and walked towards the cafeteria doors, "Wait here a second Danica, I'll get our bags and be back faster than you can say Sky High." Danica nodded and bit her lip nervously at the thought of being left alone in the hall with Warren.

He turned to her and looked into her eyes, his features softening a bit, to the point where he no longer looked angry. "Thanks for the help. I know I lost control back there," he said simply, actually speaking _to_ her for the first time. He said his thanks as if it were extremely difficult for him to admit any form of weakness, as if saying thanks showed or even was a weakness.

Danica stared at him intently, searching his eyes for the flicker of light that she had spotted before the fight. She saw it again and grinned slightly despite herself. "Don't mention it," she said, all traces of nervousness gone from her voice. "It isn't true you know," she said confidently, sure of what she was saying even if she didn't quite understand it.

"What?" Warren asked, his brows furrowing quizzically.

"What that guy Frost said. It isn't true," she said, still locked in his gaze.

"How would you know? I don't even… I don't…" Warren looked at her, a frustrated anger glowing in his eyes as he did so. Confusion washed over his features, blending with that of anger and yet Danica's gaze held strong, her face softening.

"Everyone deserves some happiness. Everyone deserves to find love, and…" her nose wrinkled and her brows furrowed as her features turned to anger, "…and damnit, that guy was just a buttface!"

Warren chuckled uncharacteristically, taking even himself by surprise. He quickly cut it off, but a small grin still held to his lips for a lingering moment. "Thanks Danica," he said turning away to walk down the hall, "See you in detention!"

Danica moaned animatedly in despair and Warren waved over his shoulder. "See you then," she groaned.

Danica managed to make it through her fourth period class with Will. Unfortunately, the teacher, a tall older man with two extremely large front teeth was giving a lecture on the importance of maneuvering tactics during the heat of battle. Rather than pay attention, Danica and Will managed to busy themselves writing notes back and forth.

_This teacher's name is 'The Human Woodchuck'. Nice name choice eh? He talks so fast that everyone says that is the real reason why his jaw moves fast enough to chew through wood. _Will's most recent note was written on the back of his Hero's Etiquette workbook in his looping, jagged writing.

As Danica read the note, she couldn't help agreeing whole heartedly with the theory. The Human Woodchuck was also known as Mr. Pine- Danica snickered at his real name as well; it was quite fitting of both his super power and his height. The man talked so fast, Danica wondered if anyone ever bothered to even attempt taking notes.

_Aunt Josie and Uncle Steve are going to be so pissed at us Will. _She passed the note back, twirling her thumbs nervously. Will and Danica dreaded the arrival home, and shared a momentary look of dread.

For the next ten minutes, Danica attempted to make Will laugh loudly enough to disturb the class by making faces and him. She had this quirky ability to shake her eyes rapidly while letting one fall lazy, rolling back and forth. It was difficult to do, but Danica decided that it was well worth the headache-inducing effort after she got four students besides Will to cover their mouths as their faces reddened, trying uselessly to stifle their laughter.

Finally, when Danica had almost gotten Will to crack, the bell rang and she sighed with a wondrous relief, raising the back of her hand to her forehead dramatically as she slid out of the desk.

Will snickered and threw a quarter at her shoulder. He threw it a little harder than intended, his super strength still lashing out randomly on occasion, and Danica glared at him, gently rubbing her sure-to-be-bruised shoulder.

"You're not out of the woods yet Danica. All juniors and seniors have gym next period and guess who's rumored to be Boomer's first pick for Save the Citizen?" Will asked, looking at her with an apologetic humor.

"Are you kidding me?" Danica squeaked loudly. She groaned and crumpled dramatically to the floor, blocking Will's path. Will looked down at her, frustrated, and gazed at her for a moment before nodding to her decidedly.

"I don't like road blocks," he said cheerfully, pulling his cousin quickly off the floor and over his shoulder in one quick movement. Danica squealed, giggling in a mock horror.

"William Stronghold, you put me down this instant!" she exclaimed in a mock voice of her favorite aunt.

"Uh, no thanks," Will said, grinning to himself with childlike glee as he walked through the halls of Sky High, his furiously blushing cousin tossed over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes.

Danica groaned, knowing that she would be unable to manipulate him into setting her down, preferring instead to pull her skirt down as far as it would go to cover her legs. After all, her butt _was_ sticking up in the air for all to see if she didn't protect it. Will set Danica down at last, when he reached the girl's locker room, patting her lightly on the head.

She glared up at him, rubbing her stomach as she did so. "Will, you turd! I'm gonna have the biggest bruise there tomorrow…" she looked at him spitefully, "as if I actually needed you hurting me on top of the beating I'm sure to get even if I _win_ Save the Citizen."

Will shrugged it off, smiling with a puppy dog face, apologetically. "I love you, if that helps," he said, sticking out his lower lip and batting his eyelashes.

"It doesn't," she said, turning away in a cartoon like gesture, snickering good-naturedly as she walked away into the girl's locker room.

Danica was one of the first girls to get changed, and so was one of the first girls from the hero class to arrive in the gym. She sat on the bleachers, pulling self-consciously at her gym clothes. She wore a size small shirt and medium sized shorts, and poor Danica felt very uncomfortable.

You see, Danica was born with a very…_ unique_ body type. She had a very small waist, and her chest was a little smaller than most girls. But her hips, that was a different story. She had large hips that curved quickly and a fairly blessed behind. The unfortunate part about all of this was the fact that her pants and shirt sizes never matched up.

On top of that, her gym shorts barely stretched wide enough for her hip bones. She didn't look lopsided, but it was noticeable. Her torso was longer and thinner than most girls her age and size, yet her hips were much wider than most of those same girls. This made for some very unwanted looks from the males her age.

She leaned foreword, propping her elbows against her knees as she watched the sidekicks speed change. She found it completely hilarious when Zach came out with his legs through the arm holes of his shirt and his head and an arm through the leg holes in his pair of shorts. He cursed loudly, and Danica laughed even harder when Mr. Boy smacked Zack upside the head for swearing.

After another five or so minutes, Will came out and sat next to her, snickering as he noticed her blush. "You know what Danica, you're just blessed with a... _cute_ body," Will said with an awkward grin, clearly uncomfortable with calling her body cute, "and if anyone comes near your _cute_ body, I'll tear his arms and legs off." He quickly regained his outgoing manner of speech as soon as the threat was said, loud enough for the other teens to hear. He looked around and laughed slightly when he noticed a few boys sliding farther away down the bench, a few even gulping anxiously.

Danica looked at him incredulously in reaction, one eyebrow raised onto her forehead. Will looked at her completely seriously. "What? I'm aloud to be protective!" he said, when he realized that she was still staring.

Danica just lowered her head, shaking it slightly with a grin. "I'm never going to be able to date, am I?" she asked with a sly smile.

"Nope! Never!" Will replied with a friendly zealous. Danica stuck her tongue out at him, looking up when she saw Warren enter. She smiled and waved. He just looked back at her with a blank face, not sure how to react, and looking very out of place in the blue gym clothes.

Danica frowned slightly, looking up when Coach Boomer started taking role. It took forever to get through the first half of the alphabet, and Danica raised her hand gratefully when her name was called, Will quickly following suit. Finally, Boomer reached, "Zeash, Nathalie." Said girl raised her hand and Boomer clapped the attendance folder shut with an almost gleeful expression.

He jumped up on a tall chair in front of the bleachers, the walled in Save the Citizen arena before him. "All right students, I don't know how many of you have noticed, but we have a new student, Danica Demarco," he said to the room at large, nearly licking his lips with anticipation. He turned abruptly to Danica, "Demarco! Get into the arena!"

Danica groaned and got up, pulling her shorts to cover more of her legs as she passed Lash's leering gaze. She entered the arena and began walking to the far side.

"Brookland! You're her partner!" Boomer hollered.

Lash got up, looking at Danica with a sadistic smile despite the purple bruise on his swollen cheek. Danica looked up at Will in concern and he glared daggers at both Lash and Boomer, as if trying to decide who to kill first.

"Second team, Big Larry," Boomer said, the redheaded boy grinning confidently as he entered the ring. "And _you_ Hothead," Boomer said, grinning to himself, quite satisfied with his choices as Warren looked at him incredulously.

Will looked at Danica with horror and then directly to his best friend. Their eyes locked for a moment, which Will took advantage of, mouthing the words, 'Hurt her and you die.' Will made a dramatic slicing motion over his neck for emphasis, not even sure himself if he was being serious or just joking. Warren rolled his eyes and walked into the arena, locking eyes with a panicked looking Danica.

Danica gazed at him for a moment in utter terror. She had seen what he was capable of. He could seriously injure her if she wasn't careful. She was almost to the point of fleeing the gym when something in her clicked.

She wouldn't, couldn't allow herself to be afraid anymore. She couldn't allow herself to run from problems. She needed to face him head on. Warren noticed the change in her countenance, cocking his head slightly with curiosity. Danica took a deep breath and looked once more at him. She smiled and waved, "Good luck Peace."

And as if Danica's suppressed fear of Warren's abilities wasn't enough, she had Lash to deal with as well. Not much for a teammate. She would have to be as wary of him as the other team.

Once everyone was geared up in body armor, Coach Boomer looked at Danica and Lash, "Okay team one, do you want to be heroes or villains?"

Danica opened her mouth to speak, but Lash beat her to it, "Villains." He grinned at Danica and winked. Danica raised her eyebrow and frowned, glaring furiously. Stupid Lash. Stupid Save the Citizen. Stupid Boomer.

Lash turned to Danica, "Okay what's your power?"

"I manipulate air and temperature."

Lash looked as if it were taking him a great amount of effort to formulate what would undoubtedly be a simple plan. After several moments of concentration, he whispered, "Okay, you take Peace, I get Big Larry."

Danica looked slightly horrified, her face paling to a papery white. "You want _me_ to fight _Warren_? Warren Peace?"

Lash looked at her with a raised eyebrow, nodding and opening his mouth to speak. But before he got the chance to say anything, Boomer called out to both teams, "Ready, set, Save the Citizen!"

Danica swallowed and raised her arms to defend herself, Lash already wrapping himself, arm and leg, around the now rock formation that was Larry. Warren looked conflicted and threw a half hearted fireball at her, testing Danica.

She swirled the air in front of her like a shield, the fireball quickly distinguished. Warren nodded in satisfaction and grinned slightly, "This'll be fun."

Danica smiled back nervously. 'I hope not dangerous,' she thought to herself.

Warren put his arms out, violently setting them ablaze. "He's trying to intimidate her with out actually trying to hurt her," Will observed, whispering to Layla.

"It looks like it might be working," Layla whispered back.

Danica looked at Warren with a furrowed brow, but didn't back down, creating cyclones beneath her hands. Warren took a few steps foreword, hurling three fireballs at her in quick succession. Danica lifted her cyclones in response, the fireballs spinning madly off to the sides of the arena as they hit each fan of air.

Warren adapted his technique quickly, rushing foreword, throwing fireball after fireball, changing his aim slightly with each throw, making them harder to block. When he was only ten feet away, an enormous fireball began to form between his hands, growing to about three feet in diameter. Danica looked nervous, afraid even, but stood her ground, preparing herself for anything, at least she hoped she was prepared for anything.

Warren pulled his arms back slowly as if to throw it, deliberately giving Danica some time to react. She took the advantage and pushed power into her cyclones, lifting herself off of the ground and swirling around in the air to land behind Warren just as he began to let the fireball go.

Danica now stood three feet behind her opponent, and she lifted her cyclones slightly, accidentally. She was immediately horrified and fascinated by the results of that one small movement. She had lifted the cyclones in the hopes of distinguishing Warren's fireball, but had instead, fueled it with the powerful air currents, creating a swirling inferno of destructive head.

Having no place else to go, the cyclone had burst out foreword, torching anything that it touched, the citizen, the citizen mulcher, thirty feet of gym floor, and the wall behind it all suffering from the blast. The mulcher had come to a stop, the sharp ends melting as the citizen's rope snapped, falling fully on fire into the glowing metal heat beneath it.

The floor past the metal heat was charred and black, a large hole, fifteen feet wide in the gym wall, revealing the bus parking lot beyond. Warren's fire and Danica's air ceased immediately in a shocked reaction. Danica stood there trembling both in fright and awe. The entire room had grown silent, Lash untangling himself and Larry returning to his normal body, knowing that the fight was over.

Warren's back still faced Danica and he turned slowly, him mouth still hanging slightly open in surprise. He looked down at Danica and they locked eyes. Danica looked at him, unsure of what to do, confused, not knowing how to react. Warren grinned slightly, leaning down to whisper to her, "That was fun."

As much as it had frightened her, Danica had to agree. It was an amazing rush to have that much power.

The room watched with bated breath. Danica sighed, releasing all of her remaining fear and leaned foreword, hugging Warren gently around the waist. He looked down at her in utter shock, having no clue as to how he should react. He stood there, just staring at the top of her head for a few moments before patting her awkwardly on the back.

After a few moments, Danica released him and smiled. Warren looked at her, his brows furrowed, feeling suddenly very uncertain. "Why did you hug me?" he asked with confusion.

"Because I want to be friends," she replied simply, gazing up at him as if it were the easiest answer in the world.

Warren cocked his head, giving her a half grin. Suddenly, the room erupted in applause, Boomer gaping with his mouth open like a fish.

"You destroyed my gym!" Boomer said, as if they had killed his only child. "My poor, sweet gym," he blubbered.

Danica looked at Warren and grinned sheepishly, both ashamed and amused by the unexpected results of their combined powers. Warren chuckled and turned it into a cough when he realized what he was doing. Danica just rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Everybody out!" Boomer cried, mourning the damaged room.

**AN: And so we conclude chapter 2! By the way, I'd like to know if you guys prefer short chapters, or super long ones like the first chapter (and kinda this one). I usually like to write longer chapters, but it you guys want short ones, I could break them up into shorter sections. Let me know in your reviews, so I know how to write this thing. Thanks!**


	3. Molding Friends

**AN: Hey everybody! I wanted to apologies for the HUMUNGOUS delay with this chapter. I lost my notes and computer files, so now I have to rewrite the whole story. I promise that I'm not giving up though! **

**Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize does not belong to me. Anything you don't recognize is clearly mine.**

Chapter 3

Warren and Will stood side by side in the locker room after the untimely end of the gym class… and the gym. Warren pulled on his gray shirt and turned to look at Will.

"Warren, that was amazing. I know that you and Danica were on different teams and everything, but seriously? How often do people blow away a chunk of the gym? That was better than our fight. You remember? We broke two walls and a support column. But you two, now that was serious damage! You melted the mulcher." Will grinned sideways at Warren with a goofy look.

"Yeah. I guess. It kinda just shocked me more than anything though," Warren tossed Will a water bottle from his locker and the two sat on a bench, now fully dressed.

"So, what's Danica's story? Why did she move in with you guys in the middle of the semester?" Warren asked, running a hand through his hair absentmindedly.

"It's a long story," Will said, the smile falling from his face.

"Well thanks to Danica and me, gym class was cut short. I think we have time for a long story," Warren replied curiously, trying to be sensitive to Will's apparent unease.

"Okay, so it's not a long story, but it's complicated. You see, her dad was a super hero, my mom's brother actually. He died when we were only seven years old, so her mom had to do everything. You know, the single-parent thing like your mom did. Well, her mom was a sidekick, so once her dad died, she left the super hero business," Will sighed and paused for a moment.

"Wait a second. Was her mom her dad's sidekick?" Warren asked, his brows furrowing a bit.

"Yeah, her mom had the power to see bits and pieces of things." Will explained.

"What does that mean? And what do you mean _had?_" Warren asked, his eyebrow rising.

"I'll get to the _had_ part in a minute. Aunt Karren, Danica's mom, didn't really have a physical or active power. She wouldn't have been safe as a hero because she had no way of defending herself. You know? It was like, she could tell if someone had a dream, like she could see it. She could sometimes predict things too, little bits of the future, but never enough of it to really change anything, or even to completely understand it. It was a confusing power. No one really understood how it worked, and Aunt Karren never really explained it."

"That's not the important part though. Aunt Karren died two weeks ago, and she died really suddenly. There wasn't any reason for it. My parents had an autopsy done, but the doctors don't know what went wrong. She was in perfect health, and somehow, part of her brain just died. It just gave up, and so her body did too I guess."

"Danica's only other relative was her mom's brother, who's in prison at the moment, and because my parents are just crazy about Danica anyways, she came to live with us." Will said, looking Warren sharply in the eye with a fleeting glint of sadness.

"Who's her mom's brother, the one in prison?" Warren asked.

"Have you heard of The Black Wave?" Will asked, a slightly sickened look on his face.

"Yeah! That super villain who used to erase super abilities with his mind? That's Danica's uncle?" Warren asked, a slight look of shock gracing his features.

A grim look settled onto Will's face and he nodded slowly, "Yeah, that explains why we were Danica's only option anyways." Will smiled slightly, "I think she would have chosen us no matter what though. You know, even if she had other places to stay. She's always been kind of like a little sister. I worry about her though sometimes."

Will turned to Warren, "She's got a couple of classes with you I think. Will you help me keep an eye on her? I want to make sure she's okay. I think she's still in shock, you know, getting over the fact that she's an orphan." Will looked to Warren hopefully.

Warren gave him a solemn nod and a pat on the back. "I'll keep an eye out for her. But you shouldn't stress your self out over it, okay? She'll work through the grief."

Will nodded and the two got up, slinging their bags over their shoulders just as the bell rang. "I'll see you in detention then Warren. Later," Will called over his shoulder, waving as he turned down the hallway.

"Yeah later," Warren called back with a sigh. He walked down the hallway and into the Art wing of the school. It was a small wing, but there were very few students who took art, and so each student had quite a bit of space. Warren walked down the hall, through the art room and into room S4, his own private studio.

The class that he took was Advanced Power Art. The class was pretty much an independent study. Once you had taken the beginner and intermediate Power Art classes, you pretty much got free reign. The art teacher checked in on each of the advanced students every once in a while though and she would grade them on their finished pieces. Warren dropped his backpack beside the door and walked to the far side of his studio, diving straight into his work.

**…**

Danica walked out of the locker room, hunched over her map of the school, trying to figure out the way to her next class. She was so focused on the piece of paper in her hands that she didn't watch where she was going. She ran straight into Lash, knocking herself off balance.

She closed her eyes right before she hit the floor, gasping in surprise. After several moments, she opened her eyes, discovering that she hadn't hit the floor. Lash's stretched arms were wrapped around her waist and he smirked as he pulled her back to stand up right.

"Thank you," she said politely, blushing because she hadn't been paying attention.

Lash released her waist slowly, letting his arms slide off her body as he pulled back each coil. "I'll catch you anytime you need it babe," he said, taking his time with sliding his last coils off of her hips.

Danica scowled at him with disgust, his leering gaze lingering in places that she'd prefer it didn't. "Excuse me, I have to get to class," she said, pushing past him uncomfortably as she pulled free of his now normal length arms.

"That's cool," he said to her back, patting her lightly on the butt with an extended arm. Danica growled and whipped around quickly, ferociously hitting him into a row of lockers with a full blown cyclone.

"Never touch me again!" she growled, surprised at her own outgoing zealous. Lash just shook it off and smirked, peeling himself from the dented lockers.

"Right. I'm afraid now," he said with a chuckle, blowing her a kiss as he walked away.

'Ewww! Will was right. That guy is definitely _bad_ news,' Danica thought, her shoulders scrunching up in self-conscious worry. She shook off the encounter the best she could and refocused on the map. She found the art wing on the map at last and noticed with surprise that she was just a few classrooms away from the hallway turn that led to the wing. She folded up the map and walked quickly, realizing how late she was going to be to her next class.

She turned the desired corner and entered the art classroom, walking straight up to the teacher despite the intermediate art class that was going on. The teacher stopped her instructions to the students for a moment and turned to Danica with a smile.

She was a tall thin woman with frizzy graying hair, tucked back under a rainbow colored head band. Her attire resembled the tight fitting clothes that a hippie might wear, and Danica was surprised by her beauty despite her age. The woman's long thin nose and full lips made her face kind and welcoming, a light flush dotted across her nose and cheeks.

"How can I help you dear?" The teacher asked with a smile.

Danica couldn't help smiling, even after what had happened with Lash. The woman was just so warm and kind, "I'm Danica Demarco. I'm the new student in your Advanced Power Art class."

The teacher smiled, "Of course! I've been expecting you." She turned to class, "Okay students, pair up for the profile projects, and I want realism, not _abstract_ art Patrick." She glared playfully at a tall blond boy and he smiled with a nod, blushing.

The teacher refocused her attention on Danica and hurried the girl up to the front, to her desk. The classroom became loud as students paired and Danica grinned at the scatterbrained teacher who was tossing clumps of hardened clay, various pieces of wood, and packets of paper behind her in a search for her class roster.

She finally found it and grinned, "All right Ms. Demarco. I'm Kelly Vinsters, but you can call me Kelly. What is your power dear?"

"I manipulate air and the temperature of air around me," Danica said, pulling out a piece of paper from her backpack. She handed it over to Kelly. "As the note says, I can work with most mediums in Power Art. That's from my last teacher."

"So it is," Kelly said, reading quickly through the letter. "Alright then, let's find you a studio." She looked down at her roster. "There are currently nineteen students in the Advanced course, and we have ten private studios. That means two students per studio. You're the twentieth person in the class, so there is only one student who doesn't have a partner to share their studio with. Alright then, right this way dear." She walked quickly across the room to what Danica assumed was a private studio door. Kelly knocked twice and opened the door, walking quickly inside.

Danica followed timidly and stopped abruptly behind Kelly. Warren stood there in his gray muscle shirt and jeans, sweat glistening on his arms and face. Danica gasped when she saw what he was working on. Before him in the back of the room was a seven and a half foot tall steel statue. It was an old, weathered looking tree, gnarled and grooved.

The trunk was at least three feet wide in some places and had it been real, it would have been ancient. Warren had a small jet of flame at the tip of his finger and was melting rivulets of silver into the grooves of the tree, adding in even more life and detail. Danica stared at it in awe.

It was several moments before Warren noticed that they had entered and he quickly put out his flame, turning to face them.

He looked startled for a moment but quickly regained his composure, "Hey Kelly. What's going on?" he asked, standing in front of his sculpture.

"Warren, this is Danica. She's going to be sharing your studio, if that's alright with you?" Kelly said, smiling. "Oh of course it's alright with you. It's easier for you to keep an eye on her for your friend when she's close by. I should've guessed!"

"Umm, I'm a little confused…" Danica said, cocking her head sideways.

"Danica dear, Warren will explain the class to you, don't you worry," Kelly said. She turned to Warren, "And Warren, Danica would love to model for you, I'm sure. All you have to do is ask," Kelly said with a grin as she exited the room, closing the door behind her.

Warren rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably and looked at the floor. "Um, Danica, Kelly's power is to read minds and emotions. It's what makes her a good artist, and about me keeping an eye on you, Will just asked me to make sure you're okay," Warren said, looking her straight in the eye. "Are you okay?"

Danica smiled sorrowfully. "Most of the time."

Warren nodded, "I know it may seem weird because we just met today but, I want you to know that you can talk to me. I'll help if I can." He felt a connection to this girl. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps he saw her as a kind of kindred spirit, another person whose childhood had been cut short, another person who had to fight for themselves.

Danica bit her lip and nodded, "Thanks Warren." She had been looking at the floor as he spoke, but she looked up at him now, smirking playfully, "So Kelly's a mind reader, eh? Do you really want me to model for you?"

Warren looked at her with a completely serious and straight face, nodding determinedly, "Yeah, eventually."

Danica blushed and returned her gaze to the floor. "So, you do power art with your fire?" She asked, looking up at his tree.

Warren turned and gazed at the nearly completed tree fondly, running his hand over the smooth detailed trunk. "Yeah, I do normal art too though. I draw and paint, but my best work is always with metal," he said. Dania could help but grin as she noticed the smile that held to his lips, a genuine smile that he didn't try to hold back. He loved the art just for the sake of it. She could see it.

Warren turned and looked back at her, "So what materials do you need to start your first project?"

Danica looked around the room thoughtfully before replying. "I need glass. Lots of it. Or at least sand, if there's no glass," she said decidedly. Warren nodded and walked over to a door in the back of the room.

"The materials are in here. Sand is against the far wall," he said, opening the door for her. "I'll help with the bags. They're heavy." Danica opened her mouth to refuse the offer, but decided against it, surprising herself as she nodded in agreement.

He led her into the room and over to the wall where brown packaged bags of sand were stacked into piles that were six feet tall. Danica noticed as Warren stood beside them just how tall he actually was. She was sure he had at least an inch or two on Will.

Warren hoisted two bags up over each shoulder, and Danica followed suit, barely managing to lift and hold one. They made two trips and Danica smiled in satisfaction at the pile of ten bags on her side of the studio.

"Thanks Warren," she said, pulling down one of the bags.

"No problem," Warren said absentmindedly, already back to working on his tree. Danica turned and looked at him for a moment, as if to say something else. She noticed though, that Warren's long locks were falling into his face, and so she walked gently over to him with a smile, pulling the shoelace from her hair and tying his hair swiftly back in one quick movement.

Warren subtly noticed the welcoming smell of strawberries and daisies wafting from her hair as she moved. He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes for a moment to remember the scent.

With out a word, she walked back over to her work. Warren looked at her for a moment and gave a throaty chuckle, a smile in his eyes as he went back to melting the silver over the steel bark.

Danica opened the bag that she had previously brought down and laid out a fire-retardant drop cover on the ground, laying a bag of dyes onto the edge. She poured out the bag of sand and bent down beside it, concentrating as she worked, forgetting that there was even someone else in the room.

The two worked on their projects in silence for the rest of the period. And after the last bell rang, as the two walked out of the studio, locking it behind them with a click,  
Warren turned to Danica. "I know that you're still in the early stages with it, but what's your project going to be when you're finished?" Warren asked.

Danica grinned. "Oh, you'll see."

Warren nodded his head. She was right after all. In a few more classes, he would be able to tell exactly what it was that she was making. He could wait patiently. He would wait.

**AN: And so we conclude chapter 3! I'll try to update as soon as I can guys. Sorry that this chapter is rather uneventful compared to the others. Just wait until next chapter for the action:P**


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